Engine rocker arm



Aug. 2, 1949. H. c. RoNFELDT 2,478,130

ENGINE ROCKER ARM Filed July 6, 1944 IE' 6 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 2, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENGINE ROCKER ARM Henry C. Ronieldt, Toledo, Ohio, asslgnor to Toledo Stamping and Manufacturing Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 6, 1944, Serial No. 543,649

2 Claims. 1

My invention relates to engine rocker arms and more particularly to the rocker arms employed in the overhead type of internal combustion engine.

My invention further relates to stamped metal rocker arms of the type wherein each lever comprises a bar or strip of metal superimposed upon" itself to provide a cross sectional area for the lever, with sufficient strength to resist the stress imposed on it.

In rocker arms of this type considerable diiiiculty is encountered in providing satisfactory oil passageways and oil control. In some cases a brazing process has been used to unite layers of metal and at the same time provide oil passage- Ways. This has been found very unsatisfactory because any small defect in the brazing causes an oil leak. Also often some of the copper used in the brazing process flows into the grooves and thereby clogs the oil passageways. It is then necessary to drill these passageways or oil ducts to reopen them.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a rocker of superimposed layers in which the layers are united by means of a projection welding process.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rocker arm in which the oil passageways are sealed by a projection welding process.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rocker arm that is adapted to quantity production.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rocker arm construction that requires a minimum amount of skilled help in the manufacturing process.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rocker arm construction that eliminates the brazing process, which process destroys some of the desirable qualities of the sheet metal.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rocker arm construction that is simple, durable and inexpensive.

With these and other objects in view my inven tion accordingly consists of the various features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts as more fully pointed out in the appended claims and in the detailed description, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of an engine rocker arm embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the engine rocker arm shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the engine rocker arm shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the rocker arm on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a partially formed stamping of sheet metal used to make the rocker arm shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a partial top plan view of the partially formed stamping shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 'I-I of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9 9 in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings I have shown in Fig. 1 one form of my invention. This rocker arm I0 comprises a strip of metal folded upon itself to provide superimposed layers II-I I.

As shown in Fig. 5, the lever I0 is made from a comparatively thin strip or blank, the length of which must be slightly more than twice that of the nished lever, allowance being made in thev length of the strip for the desired conformation. The partially formed arm I2 is made from a at blank of proper size and shape. Hubs I3 and I4 are stru-ck from the flat blank. Beads I5 and I6 are then coined or formed on one face of the partially formed arm I2. Grooves I'I and I8 are coined from the hub to the upper edge of the partially formed arm I2. The tabs or ears I9 and 2|] are bent substantially at right angles to the plane of the rocker arm I0 as shown in Fig. 9. The eye 2| is formed by folding the strip or blank from which the rocker arm is made around a cylindrical pin whereby an aperture 22 is obtained. The aperture 22 is threaded to receive a threaded stem 32 of the contacting bearing 3l. yIn forming the eye 2l the layers I I-I I are superimposed to form the arm member I 0 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The hubs I3 and I4 extend in opposite directions from the layers II-Il and are in axial alignment. Also the beads I5 and I6 are superimposed when the strip or partially formed when blank I2 isvfolded back upon itself. 'I'he two layers II--II are then secured together by projection Welding. When an electrical circuit passes through the arm from one side to another only the beads I 5 and I6 make contact. The heat is then concentrated in these beads thereby Welding these beads together.

A bushing 23 is then pressed into the hubs I3 and I4. An annular oil duct or chamber 24 is formed when the bushing 23 is located in the hub. As the hubs I3 and I4 are made an arc 25 is formed. When the two layers II--II are I0 is installed in an engine it is placed on a rocker f shaft. Oil under pressure enters the duct 2liy from an oil duct in the' shaft (not shown) flows through the annular duct 24 and out of the oil duct 21 to the top of the arm'member Ill. The oil then ows to either end of the arm. The oil in flowing to the ends of the arm flows over the oil metering sections 29 and 29. These narrow sections 28 and 29 control the amount of oil that can flow to either end independently of the fiow to the opposite end.

A contacting bearing 30 is projection welded or otherwise secured to the tabs I9 and 29. The contacting bearing 30 is a hardened material which operates in connection with a push rod or valve stem when the rocker arm operates in an engine.

From the above description it will be noted that my novel engine rocker arm provides an oil passageway fro-m the bushing member 23 to the surface of the rocker arm. The drilled hole 26 in the bushing or bearing member is located the proper. distance from the end of the bushing, then when the bushing is assembled the hole or oil passageway 26 will communicate with the annular passageway 24 regardless of how the bushing is turned or positioned when it is pressed into the hub members I3 and I4. The beads I5 and I6 serve a dual purpose by fastening or securing together layers II-II and also forming a seal for the oil passageways 24 and 21. Hence an oil passageway is provided in the engine rocker arm that will not leak or become clogged in the manufacturing pro-cess. Furthermore the oil passageways are formed in the normal process of fabricating the engine rocker arm, that is no extra drilling or machining operations are required to produce the oil passageways.

While I have described the ldetails of one form of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the particular form shown and described as it will be apparent that many modifications therein may be made without departing from' the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I .claim is:

1. A rocker arm comprising two sheet metal layers positioned face to face, aligning hub flanges struck outward from the middle portion of the layers, each hub flange being struck about a curved arc where it meets said layer, s. bushing fitting tightly within said anges. contact members on 4the ends of said arm facing in the same way, contacting beads on the inner faces of said layers and welded together about the opening formed by said hub iianges except on the side facing in the opposite direction from said Contact members and on that side extending outward to the edge of the arm facing in the opposite direction from the contact members, the bushing having an oil perforation therethrough registering with the passage about the bushing formed by said curved portions of the hu ilanges.

2 An arm in accordance with claim 1 and having on each layer on opposite sides of the beads where they reach the side of the arm, projections forming restricted passages along the side of the arm from the passage between the' beads.

HENRY C. RONFELDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS l Number Name Date 1,449,611 Konigslow Mar. 27, 1923 2,176,083 Leake Oct. 17, 1939 2,219,361 Haberstump Oct. 29, 1940 2,288,831 OHarrow July 7, 1942 2,306,180 Myers Dec. 22, 1942 2,345,822 Leake Apr. 4, 1944 

